Monday, 26 October 2015

My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay Singapore JK1277

I was invited to a tasting at My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay in Singapore. I like checking out tourist traps like Boat Quay so that I can pick out the good restaurants here :-D Tourist traps are OK as long as we know where to eat at :-DMy Little Spanish Place serves Spanish cuisine, needless to say but food from the mid-Mediterranean Balearic Islands specifically :-D I love such "international" tastings as it stretches my palate and broadens my knowledge about food, people and cultures. I always enjoyed new taste experiences.I am glad that I had a great experience at My Little Spanish Place. The food was delicious, service was enthusiastic and the place is great for couples and small gatherings.

My Little Spanish Place also sports a cosy little bar and a small selection of Spanish wines.There is an al fresco dining area overlooking the picturesque banks of the Singapore River. (I have no idea why I didn't take a picture of it :-( - scratch head.... )

Owner-chef Edward Esmero and his team work in an open kitchen in full view of customers. I love to dine with a front row seat view of the kitchen to feed my voyeuristic appetite ;-p

Click to see large view ^

Our tasting menu for the evening graciously hosted by Chef Edward Esmero (My Little Spanish Place's other owner-chef is Maria Sevillano.)Chef Edward started us off withTablas de Jamones, SGD75++. A platter of sliced ham.

Chef Edward let us taste different vintage jamon (Spanish for ham) including premium categories. My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay's jamon bar serves the widest selection (5 different types of jamon) in Singapore. So, if you are a jamon fan, you have to come here.

The savoury, beefy jamon has well balanced flavours and one could easily eat too much of this good thing. The jamon I had in the past were mostly greasy and very salty, but not the premium jamon at My Little Spanish Place which is actually just mildly savoury and quite refreshing instead of being cloying.

The tasting proper started off with Migas (SGD8++ per serving).Migas is a traditional Spanish staple comprising a colourful mound of house made croutons, diced tomatoes, red peppers, and chorizo (sausage) topped with a soft-boiled egg and crispy Serrano ham. Migas is eaten by tossing the ingredients and mixing it with the soft-boiled egg.The result is a blend of layers of savouriness and eggy flavours with a jumble of tender, crunchy and crispy textures. Migas is a delicious starter, setting the fiesta mood for the food and jolly good company.

A Balearic Island (in the Mediterranean Sea) staple, butifarra is made from minced pork and a mix of spices with sherry vinegar. Butifarra is traditionally prepared on Balearic Island to mark the coming of autumn and spring.

The octopus was imported from Spain as Chef Edward said only these Mediterranean octopus have the desired spongy, soft crunchy texture and characteristic briny sweet flavour. The grilled octopus also had a subtle smokey char flavour which I love.

Secreto Iberico, SGD28++.Tender Iberico pork cut between the shoulder blade and loin. It is marinated with thyme and garlic to bring out it's natural flavour, lightly seared to seal in it's juices, and smoked with applewood just before eating.Gambas al Ajillo SGD16++. Garlic Prawns.A traditional Spanish house favourite. Large fresh succulent shrimp cooked in a little pan of boiling olive oil with garlic chips and dried chili pepper. I found this unstoppable with bread until I wiped the pan clean.

Paella with short angel hair noodles with mussels and shrimps, cooked in My Little Spanish Place's own special seafood stock and herb blend.

The short skinny noodles were heavily laden with seafood (mostly prawn) broth with robust savoury crustacean flavours - it reminded me of Singapore fried Hokkien noodles but more robust. I also like it that at the bottom layer of the noodles, the strands were caramelised in a way that reminded me of claypot chicken rice. This gives the fideuá an interesting soft al dente bite punctuated with crunchy, crispy textures.

Of course, any Spanish meal with be incomplete without a good sangria (cocktail). My Little Spanish Place serves a good range of different mixes.If I am eating Spanish, My Little Spanish Place at Boat Quay is among the top of my mind in Singapore.Please note that this was an invited food tasting.

1 comment:

I firmly believe that taste is subjective and so, warmly welcome differing viewpoints as it makes this blog better :-D But, I disapprove negative comments that are anonymous or hide behind fake identities. I feel that that is unethical in the same way as speaking ill of others behind their backs. I look forward to all your comments :-D Thank you. (Date: 18 Dec 2015)

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